Post Theatre Collective Presents SILENCE — A Multilingual Nordic Co-Production Challenging Language and Identity in Theatre

What happens in an audition room when the most important thing is not your talent — but your exoticism and diversity? Can the silencing of diverse voices on stage be broken? 

SILENCE is a thought-provoking multilingual performance set in a waiting room for an audition. A wide range of languages are spoken in SILENCE — some familiar, others rarely heard on Nordic stages. Each carries memories, stories, and perspectives that do not fit neatly into one dominant language. The work is developed collaboratively by director David Kozma and playwright Vanja Hamidi Isacson, based on the lived experiences and linguistic backgrounds of the working group. 

The fictional audition is for a multilingual musical loosely inspired by the invisible and silent characters in Tove Jansson’s Trollvinter. As the actors prepare for their turn, they begin to question what is expected of them. Are they truly being invited to share their voices — or simply to perform diversity? As 2025 marks 80 years since the publication of Jansson’s first book, the performance reflects on silence, identity, and the politics of language on stage. 

SILENCE challenges the “multilingual silence” that dominates Nordic theatre and questions the cultural logic of “one nation, one language.” It speaks to a wider political climate in which minority and migrant languages are framed as threats, and English dominates at the expense of local languages. The performance confronts this reality — presenting a space where multilingualism becomes both expression and resistance. 

“We wanted to create a space where silenced voices can finally be heard,” says director David Kozma. “This performance is not only about language but about identity, belonging, and the invisible politics within theatre itself.” 

“Silence — the theme of the performance — has many dimensions: societal, political, and psychological. We explore whether theatre can be a space where we make room for parts of ourselves — and for languages — that have been silenced.” says Vanja Hamidi Isacson.

Post Theatre Collective have created multilingual, multidisciplinary performances before that have explored identity, language, and belonging in a globalised world. Suomen Mestari (2023) has nudged the public towards a more open-minded understanding of Finnishness. The Cleaners (2021) centred around the invisible stories of the cleaners living and working in Finland. Some audience found both performances echoing their voices, which they considered as valuable experiences in the Finnish theatre.

SILENCE 

Working group: 

Text: Vanja Hamidi Isacson, David Kozma, and cast
Director: David Kozma (FI)
Dramaturg: Vanja Hamidi Isacson (SWE)
Actors: Ágnes Kaszás (FI), Wanjiku Victoria Seest (DK), Yuko Takeda (FI), Mohamed Ismail (SWE)
On Video: Luthando Jamda (SWE), Fabian Silén (FI)
Visual Design: Pietu Pietiäinen (FI)
Sound Design: Saku Kämäräinen (FI)
Choreography: Gesa Piper (FI)
Producer: Haiyun Yu (FI)
Communication: Rong-Ci Zhang (FI)

Bios of the working group: https://tinyurl.com/2tb5c9vk 

Performance Schedule: 
Premiere: 10.09.2025 at 18:30 
Other Performances: 12., 13*., 16., 17., 18., 19., 24., 25., and 26.09.2025 
All shows start at 18:30, except the performance on 13.09, which begins at 15:00. 
Place: Post Theatre Collective Studio, Pengerkatu 11 a 3, 00530 Helsinki 
Tickets: https://fienta.com/my/events?series=silence